JP4271195B2 - Video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus, video / audio recording method, and video / audio reproducing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an audio / video recording / reproducing apparatus and method such as a memory recording camera recorder, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for recording and reproducing audio additional information in association with main information of video and audio.

  When producing a program based on a tape that has been filmed and recorded with a camera-integrated VTR, editing only the necessary scenes from many shots (scenes) that have been filmed and recorded to produce a single program Is generally done.

  A conventional nonlinear editing apparatus that performs such editing work takes information such as video and audio recorded on a covered tape as a material into a recording medium that can be randomly accessed such as a hard disk, and the video captured on the hard disk. And edit while randomly accessing the audio.

  In order to efficiently perform this editing work, the editor needs to confirm what the photographing content of each cut is. For this reason, conventionally, a still image such as a character title explaining the contents of the cut is photographed and inserted as a so-called credit (additional information for assisting editing) at the head of each cut and recorded on the hard disk. It was. At the time of subsequent editing, the recorded still image credits are reproduced and displayed on the monitor, so that it is possible to easily grasp what content has been shot in each cut.

  As described above, it is troublesome to photograph and insert a credit such as a character title explaining the contents at the head of each cut, and there has been a demand for a method that can grasp the contents of each cut more easily.

  On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-136482, as a means for knowing the photographing content of each cut, audio additional information (voice memo) is recorded and reproduced in association with the main information separately from the main information of video and audio. A method has been proposed.

  However, the above-mentioned patent document describes the concept of associating additional information (voice memo) with each cut material, but does not mention a specific method when applied to a memory recording camera recorder or the like. In addition, there is a problem that a voice memo can be recorded only during reproduction of main information.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and proposes a specific method for adding additional information to each cut in a video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus includes a video / audio input unit that inputs video and audio main information, an audio additional information input unit that inputs audio additional information added to the main information, A video / audio output unit for outputting main information and additional audio information, a recording medium for recording main information and additional audio information, a recording / reproducing unit for recording main information and additional audio information on a recording medium, and reproducing from the recording medium, A video / audio input unit, an audio additional information input unit, a video / audio output unit, and a control unit for controlling operations of the recording / reproducing unit. The control unit controls the audio additional information to be recorded on the recording medium in association with a specific frame position in the main information , asynchronously with the time axis of the main information.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the video / audio recording method inputs video and audio main information, inputs audio additional information added to the main information, and makes the audio additional information asynchronous with the time axis of the main information. Then, it is recorded on a recording medium in association with a specific frame position in the main information.

In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a playback method for a recording medium on which main information and additional audio information are recorded by the above-described video / audio recording method, wherein a thumbnail image of the main information is displayed and the same main information is displayed. If more than one audio additional information is associated, for each of them one or more additional audio information, respectively to the selectable main information of the thumbnail images in the frame position where the audio additional information is associated indicate.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproducing method for a recording medium on which main information and additional audio information are recorded by the video / audio recording method, wherein the additional audio information is not synchronized with the time axis of the main information. To play.

According to the present invention, audio additional information (voice memo) for explaining the contents of the main information of video and audio can be recorded in association with the specific frame position of the main information, and on the time axis in the main information A plurality of voice memos can be recorded at one point. Further, by recording the additional audio information in association with the main information asynchronously with the time axis of the main information, reproduction control of the additional audio information is facilitated.

  In addition, a specific frame position in the main information may be specified by the number of frames from the top of the main information, so that even if the time code of the material data is discontinuous, the audio additional data is made a unique position in the material data Can be associated.

  Further, the additional sound information may be associated with each continuously recorded material data (clip), so that the additional sound information can be used as a memo for each scene.

  In addition, audio additional data associated with the entire recording medium may be recorded. By associating what shots are recorded on the recording medium as audio additional data, it is possible to distinguish from other recording media. It becomes easy.

  In addition, in the main information (shot) recorded across a plurality of recording media, the additional audio data may be associated with each recording medium, so that even if some recording media are removed, the remaining recording media Audio additional data associated with the main information recorded in the can be recorded and reproduced.

  Further, the recording of the audio additional information may be terminated when the recording of the main information is completed, thereby saving the trouble of ending the recording of the audio additional data when the recording of the material data by the user is completed.

  Further, the audio additional information may be recorded at a sampling rate or bit rate different from that of the audio data of the main information. For example, the recording time of the audio additional data is increased by recording the audio additional information at a lower rate. Can do.

  Further, the audio additional information may be recorded in a file format different from the audio data of the main information. For example, by recording the main information in a format dedicated to an editing machine and the audio additional information in a format for a general-purpose PC, It is possible to reproduce the additional audio data even on the PC.

  In addition, an area for recording the audio additional information may be secured in advance on the recording medium, and recording of the audio additional data can be ensured even when the free space of the main information is exhausted.

  Also, it may be possible to record additional audio information from any state during recording of main information, during recording pause, during recording stop, during playback, during playback pause, or during playback stop, Editing work becomes easy.

  In addition, when the main information associated with the audio additional information is deleted, the audio additional information related to the deleted main information may be deleted at the same time to prevent forgetting to erase unnecessary audio additional data. it can.

  In addition, when one or more pieces of audio additional information are associated with the same main information, when one of the one or more pieces of audio additional information is selected, the selected audio additional information is associated. The thumbnail image of the main information at the frame position may be displayed, which makes it easy to search for necessary audio additional information.

  In addition, when reproducing the additional audio information, a thumbnail of the main information associated with the additional audio information or video information in the main information may be displayed, and the main information can be confirmed during the reproduction of the additional audio information. Become.

  In addition, when one piece of additional sound information is selected, the main information may be reproducible from the frame position of the main information associated with the selected additional sound information, and after a search using the additional sound information as a key, Since the associated main information can be confirmed immediately, the work efficiency of editing is improved.

  In addition, during playback of the additional audio information, the main information may be reproducible from the frame position of the main information associated with the additional audio information being reproduced, and after the search using the additional audio information as a key, Since the information can be confirmed immediately, the editing work efficiency is improved.

  Further, management information related to voice additional information including information indicating a state at the start of recording of the voice additional information may be included, and the voice additional information can be reproduced by various methods with reference to the management information. It becomes possible.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a video / audio recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a memory recording camera recorder according to the present invention.

  The video / audio input unit 100 inputs audio information and video information as main information. The video information can be input through an image sensor, a playback device, and the like, and the audio information can be input through a microphone, a playback device, and the like, but any means can be used as long as video and audio information can be input. Here, “main information” refers to video / audio information to which audio additional information can be added, and is also referred to as “main part”.

  The compression / decompression circuit 101 compresses the video and audio main information input by the video / audio input unit 100 and outputs the compressed data to the recording / playback unit 140 as the main data of video and audio data. The reproduced video and audio main data and audio additional data are decompressed and output to the video / audio output unit 102 as video and audio main information and audio additional information.

  The video / audio output unit 102 externally outputs the video and audio main information and audio additional information from the compression / decompression circuit 101.

  The voice memo microphone 110 is voice additional information input means, and inputs a voice memo as voice additional information. Note that the voice additional information input means may be used by simply providing a voice input terminal instead of providing a microphone in the camera recorder and connecting the input means such as a microphone there. The voice memo processing circuit 111 performs data conversion and data compression on the voice additional information input from the voice memo microphone 110 and outputs the data to the recording / reproducing unit 140 as voice additional data.

  The control unit 120 controls the operation of each unit such as the recording / reproducing unit 140 and the display unit 121. The display unit 121 displays the voice memo number and thumbnail (representative image) designated by the control unit 120. The operation unit 130 includes a recording button, a reproduction button, a voice memo reproduction button, and the like, and accepts user operations from these externally. The recording / reproducing unit 140 records the video and audio main data from the compression / decompression circuit 101 and the audio additional data from the voice memo processing circuit 111 on the recording medium 150, and also reproduces the video and audio reproduced from the recording medium 150. The main data and the audio additional data are output to the compression / decompression circuit 101.

  The recording medium 150 is a randomly accessible recording medium that records video, audio main data, audio additional data, and the like from the recording / playback unit 140. As long as the recording medium 150 is a randomly accessible recording medium, there is no limitation on the type of the recording medium 150 such as a built-in type, an external type, and a detachable type. For example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc. can be considered. In this embodiment, it is assumed that there is only one recording medium.

  When video and audio main data constituting material data are continuously recorded on a single recording medium 150, the recorded series of data units is referred to as a “clip” (note that one material The case where data is recorded across a plurality of recording media will be described later.)

  When the video main data and the audio main data are recorded on the recording medium 150 as the same file, the clip is composed of one material file, but the video main data and the audio main data are different files. When recorded on the recording medium 150, the clip may be composed of a plurality of material files. In this embodiment, the main video data and the main audio data are recorded on the recording medium 150 as separate files. In one clip, the main video data is composed of one video file, and the main audio data. Is composed of a multi-channel audio file. Hereinafter, the main video data is simply referred to as “video data”, and the main audio data is simply referred to as “audio data”.

  The voice information input from the voice memo microphone 110 is converted into voice additional data by the voice memo processing circuit 111 and output. This additional voice data is called “voice memo data”.

  When the recording / reproducing unit 140 records data on the recording medium 150, the voice memo data is recorded in association with the time code in the clip. The time code to be associated may be the time code for the first frame in the clip, or the time code for an arbitrary frame in the middle.

  By recording the voice memo data in association with the time code of the clip, a plurality of voice memos can be recorded for one clip. It is also possible to associate the material data with detailed positions in frame units. At the time of editing, it is possible to easily find the position of the desired material data by listening to the voice memo.

  Also, the voice memo data may be associated with the clip frame offset (number of frames from the beginning) instead of the clip time code.

  The association between the voice memo data and the frame offset of the clip will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  Voice memo # 1 (411) is recorded in association with one frame (frame offset = 4) in the clip 400. Also, voice memo # 2 (412) is recorded in association with a frame (frame offset = 8) after the frame associated with voice memo # 1 (411). The time at the position of the frame offset associated with voice memo # 2 (412) may be earlier than the end time of voice memo # 1 (411). Further, another voice memo # 3 (413) may be recorded in association with the same frame as the frame (frame offset = 8) associated with the voice memo # 2 (412).

  As described above, the recording time of the voice memo does not directly affect the recording time of the material clip constituting the main data. That is, the voice memo can be considered to be recorded at one point on the frame offset of the associated clip. Therefore, it is possible to record a voice memo for a longer time than the material clip. However, although the upper limit of the recording time of the voice memo is described later, it must be within the set time.

  Here, the voice memo data may be associated with a specific frame offset value of the clip, for example, the first frame of the clip, and at this time, the voice memo may be defined as associated with the entire clip. By associating with the entire clip in this way, it is possible to obtain an effect of facilitating search in units of clips using the voice memo as a key.

  Further, by recording the voice memo data in association with the frame offset of the clip, there is an effect that the voice memo data can be uniquely associated even when the time code in the clip is discontinuous.

  As a method of associating the clip frame offset with the voice memo data, for example, a management table (hereinafter referred to as a “voice memo management table”) showing the relationship between the clip and the voice memo file as shown in FIG. 3 and as shown in FIG. It is conceivable to use a management table (hereinafter referred to as “clip management table”) indicating the relationship between a clip and its material file (video / audio data file). 3 and 4 show a management table when the voice memo data is associated with the clip frame offset.

  In the voice memo management table 20 shown in FIG. 3, the clip name 200 indicates the clip ID. All clips in the same recording medium have a unique ID. The frame offset 201 is the number of frames from the beginning of the clip. The memo ID 202 is a unique ID added to a plurality of voice memos associated with the same clip. The voice memo file name 203 is a file name of the voice memo file, and all voice memo file names have unique file names in the same clip.

  In the clip management table 30 shown in FIG. 4, AV type 301 is information indicating whether the type of clip (material file) constituting the main data is video data or audio data. The channel number 302 specifies the channel number if it is audio data, and does not need to be specified if it is video data. The material file name 303 is a unique file name of video data or audio data as a material file constituting a clip.

  Hereinafter, a process for reproducing main data (clip) associated with voice memo data during reproduction of the voice memo will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the clip and the voice memo are associated via the management information shown in FIGS.

  The voice memo file name of the voice memo being played back is unique within the same clip. Therefore, the voice memo management table 20 is referred to, and the clip name and frame offset associated therewith are obtained using the voice memo file name as a key (S11). Next, the clip management table 30 is referred to, and the file names (material file names 303) of all material files constituting the clip having the obtained clip name are acquired (S12). That is, as many material file names as the number of files constituting the clip are acquired. The reproduction of each data file having each material file name obtained here is started from the position indicated by the previously obtained frame offset (S13). By referring to the management information 20 and 30 as described above, the correspondence between the voice memo and the main data (clip) can be recognized, and the clip related to the voice memo can be reproduced during the reproduction of the voice memo.

  Next, a process for reproducing a voice memo associated with a clip while reproducing the clip will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  With reference to the clip management table 30, the clip name of the clip currently being reproduced is acquired (S21). Then, referring to the voice memo management table 20, the memo ID associated with the acquired clip name and the voice memo file name corresponding to the memo ID are acquired (S22). The voice memo data indicated by the acquired voice memo file name is reproduced (S23). A specific method for specifying the voice memo to be reproduced will be described later.

  By the above-described method, the management information 20 and 30 can be used to associate the clip with the voice memo data. Further, since the voice memo is associated with the time code and frame offset in the clip, a plurality of voice memo data can be associated with one clip. It is also possible to associate multiple voice memos on the same frame offset of a particular clip.

  In this embodiment, the compression / decompression circuit 101 compresses video and audio information and decompresses video and audio data. However, video and audio information that is uncompressed data without compression and decompression is used. May be handled as is.

  In the present embodiment, the management tables shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are used as means for associating the frame offset in the clip with the voice memo data, but other means may be used as long as the association can be realized.

  In this embodiment, the voice memo is associated with the frame offset or time code of the clip. However, if the voice memo can be associated with a position on a specific time axis in the clip, that is, the frame position within the clip can be identified. As long as it is information, the destination of the voice memo may not be the frame offset or time code of the clip.

  Here, the difference between the voice memo of the present invention and the voice information recorded by the after-recording function of the conventional editing apparatus will be described.

  In a conventional editing machine or the like, audio data is additionally recorded by post-recording with respect to video and audio data captured in advance, and this may be regarded as audio data for the video data and reproduced. In this case, the audio data additionally recorded by the after-recording is recorded on the assumption that it is reproduced in synchronization with the video data recorded at the time of the first shooting. Therefore, when additionally recording audio data by post-recording, it is common to record additional audio data while reproducing and synchronizing video data.

  On the other hand, the voice memo in the present invention is memo information for indicating what the clip (material data) is, and synchronous reproduction with video and audio main data is not essential. Therefore, there is no limit to the state of the main data when recording the voice memo, and the voice memo is recorded even when the main data is in various states, such as stopped, playing, special playback (multiple search playback, reverse playback, etc.) can do.

  That is, the voice memo is associated with a specific point on the time axis of the main data and can be recorded without synchronizing with the main data.

  Further, when audio data is additionally recorded by post-recording, the additional number is limited to the number of audio output channels of the device. For example, for a device that can output only up to 4 channels of audio, only up to 4 channels of audio can be recorded. In contrast, the voice memo of the present invention can record a plurality of voice memos in association with the same time axis position of the main data regardless of the number of audio output channels.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the memory recording camera recorder has only one recording medium 150. However, in this embodiment, the recording medium 150 includes a plurality of removable recording media as shown in FIG. A case will be described in which the recording medium # 1 (501), the recording medium # 2 (502), and the recording medium # 3 (503) are configured.

  In the present embodiment, when video and audio main data is continuously recorded across a plurality of recording media, the recording data unit is referred to as a “shot”. For example, when the material of one shot is recorded on one recording medium, the shot becomes one clip. On the other hand, when one shot material is recorded across a plurality of recording media, separate clips are created for each recording medium. In this case, the voice memo data is associated with each divided clip.

  The addition of a voice memo to a single shot 600 recorded across a plurality of recording media will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  It is assumed that the recording of the shot 600 is started from the recording medium # 1 (501), and the recording is finished on the recording medium # 3 (503) across the recording medium # 2 (502). At this time, the shot 600 includes a clip # 1 (611) in the recording medium # 1 (501), a clip # 2 (612) in the recording medium # 2 (502), and a clip # in the recording medium # 3 (503). 3 (613) and recorded.

  In this embodiment, when voice memo data is recorded in association with a specific position in the shot 600, the voice memo data is recorded on the same recording medium as the recording medium on which the entity data to which the voice memo data is added is recorded. For example, when the position where the voice memo is to be associated is the data in clip # 1 (611), the voice memo data (voice memo # 1 (621)) is recorded on the recording medium # 1 (501). Similarly, when the position where the voice memo is to be associated is data in clip # 2 (612), the voice memo data is recorded on recording medium # 2 (502) (voice memo # 2 (622)). At this time, the end time of voice memo # 2 (622) may be later than the end time of clip # 2 (612). However, in this case, the voice memo # 2 (622) does not extend from the recording medium # 2 (502) to the recording medium # 3 (503), and the recording medium in which the main data at the associated position is recorded (that is, here) Recording is performed on the same recording medium as recording medium # 2 (502). Similarly, when the position where the voice memo is to be associated is the data in clip # 3 (613), the voice memo data (voice memo # 3 (623)) is recorded on the recording medium # 3 (503). At that time, the end time of the voice memo # 3 (623) may be later than the end time of the shot 600.

  As described above, the voice memo data is recorded on the recording medium on which the main data of the frame offset of the clip is recorded. Also, the voice memo data recording time must be within the upper limit of the voice memo recording time, as in the first embodiment.

  By associating the voice memo data with the data in the clip using the above method, it is possible to reproduce the main data and the voice memo in association with each recording medium. For example, even when the recording medium # 3 (503) is removed, it is associated with the data in the voice memo # 1 (621) and the clip # 2 (612) associated with the data in the clip # 1 (611). The voice memo # 2 (622) can be reproduced.

  In the first embodiment, the voice memo data is associated with a clip including video or audio data. However, a clip composed of invalid video and audio data (hereinafter referred to as “dummy clip”) is created and this dummy is created. Voice memo data may be associated with the clip. The voice memo data associated with the dummy clip may be associated with the entire recording medium.

  For example, the recording medium is distinguished from other recording media by associating voice memo data indicating what kind of data is recorded on the recording medium with the entire recording medium on which certain video and audio data is recorded. The effect that it becomes easy is acquired.

  The dummy clip originally does not need video and audio data, but if blue-back video data is used as invalid video data of the dummy clip, management similar to that of an existing clip is possible. In order to determine whether or not the clip is a dummy clip, for example, a flag indicating whether or not the clip is a dummy clip may be added to the management table of FIG. This flag is set when a dummy clip is created.

(Embodiment 3)
In this embodiment, a voice memo recording process will be briefly described.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the operation unit 130 operated by the user when recording and reproducing the voice memo. On the operation unit 130, a voice memo recording button 1101, a selection button 1102, and an enter button 1103 are provided.

  The voice memo recording button 1101 is used when recording of a voice memo is started and when recording of a voice memo is ended. When the voice memo recording button 1101 is pressed while no voice memo is recorded, the voice memo recording operation starts. When the voice memo recording button 1101 is pressed while a voice memo is being recorded, the voice memo recording operation ends. Voice memo recording button 1101 may be divided into a recording start button and a recording end button.

  The selection button 1102 is, for example, a button for moving a cursor in a clip thumbnail (representative image) list, moving a cursor in various option items, and the like.

  The determination button 1103 is a button for determining selection. For example, when the decision button 1103 is pressed in a normal state where a certain voice memo is selected, the reproduction of the voice memo is started. Various buttons (not shown) may be present on the operation unit 130.

  The flow of processing from recording a voice memo to associating it with a clip will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the user presses the voice memo recording button 1101 in a voice memo non-recording state, the voice memo recording operation starts. At that time, first, the clip name and frame offset of the clip associated with the voice memo to be recorded are acquired, and the information is stored (S31). A specific method for determining a clip to be associated with a voice memo and a frame offset will be described later (see Embodiment 5). At this time, referring to the management tables 20 and 30, the memo ID and file name are determined and stored so as not to overlap in the same clip (S32). The method for determining the file name will be described later (see Embodiment 7). Then, recording of the voice memo is started (S33).

  Thereafter, during the voice memo recording operation, it is determined whether or not there is a recording stop operation by pressing the voice memo recording button 1101 of the user (S34). When there is a recording stop operation, the recording of the voice memo is terminated (S35). At that time, the associated information such as the clip name, frame offset, memo ID, and file name of the voice memo related destination stored at the start of voice memo recording is recorded in the management table as shown in FIG. 3 (S36).

(Embodiment 4)
In this embodiment, a specific method for recording a voice memo will be described.

  The voice memo is memo information for indicating what the material data is, and is hardly edited after recording. In addition, unlike the voice data of the material, the voice memo is considered not to require high sound quality. Therefore, the sampling rate and bit rate of the voice memo are recorded at a lower rate than the audio data of the material. This reduces the file size of the voice memo and increases efficiency.

  For example, recording is performed with the sampling rate of the audio data of the material set to 48 kHz and the sampling rate of the voice memo set to 8 kHz. Further, the bit rate of the audio data of the material is set to 16 bps (Bits Per Sample), and the bit rate of the voice memo is set to 8 bps. As a result, the voice memo can be recorded in a size that is 1/12 of the audio data of the material, so that it is possible to record more video and audio data of the material on a recording medium with a limited capacity.

  The file format of the voice memo can be different from the file format of the audio data of the material.

  For example, MXF (Material Exchange Format) which is a material exchange format is used as the audio data format of the main part, and WAVE used in a general-purpose PC is used as the voice memo format.

  Since the audio data of the main part is premised on editing, when a material exchange format such as MXF is used, editing with an editing machine or the like is facilitated, and editing efficiency is increased. In addition, if a format that can be handled by a general-purpose PC such as WAVE is used for the voice memo, a thumbnail (representative image) described later can be used to enable simple editing such as title insertion on the PC without viewing actual material data. The effect of becoming is obtained.

Hereinafter, the case where the material data and the voice memo are recorded on the recording medium will be specifically described. Assuming that the sound quality of the voice memo is set slightly higher, the parameters of each data are as follows.
Frame rate: 30 fps (Frames Per Second),
Main video data frame size: 120kB
Sampling rate of main part audio data: 48kHz,
Voice memo sampling rate: 12 kHz
Bit rate of the main audio data: 16 bps,
Voice memo bit rate: 16 bps,

Here, it is assumed that the clip is composed of video data 1ch and audio data 2ch. At this time, the data size of the clip per second is
(120 kB × 30 fps) + ((48 kHz) × 16 bps / 8 bit) × 2 ch = 3.792 MB (Formula 1)
It becomes.

The data size per second of voice memo is
12 kHz × 16 bps / 8 bits = 24 kB (Formula 2)
It becomes.

  Here, for the sake of simplification of explanation, recording of parts other than the data part of the material data file and the voice memo file (header, footer part, etc.) is not considered.

  Further, an area dedicated to voice memo recording may be secured in advance on the recording medium.

For example, a voice memo recording area for 5 minutes (300 seconds) is secured on the recording medium. The recording capacity required to record a voice memo for 5 minutes (300 seconds) is
24 kB × 300 seconds = 7.2 MB (Formula 3)
It becomes. That is, the recording capacity (7.2 MB) necessary for recording a voice memo for 5 minutes (300 seconds) corresponds to a recording capacity for recording a clip for about 1.9 seconds (about 57 frames).

Here, when only the clip is recorded on the recording medium having a recording capacity of 1 GB, that is, when the recordable time when the voice memo recording area is not secured is calculated,
1 GB / 3.792 MB = about 264 seconds (Formula 4)
It becomes. When a voice memo recording area for 5 minutes (300 seconds) is secured in advance on a recording medium having a recording capacity of 1 GB, the recordable time of the clip is about 262 seconds. That is, securing a voice memo recording area for 5 minutes (300 seconds) is almost the same as when a recordable time is not secured.

  Therefore, even if a voice memo storage area is secured in advance on the recording medium, it can be said that the recording time of the material data is hardly affected. Further, even if the voice memo is not recorded in the storage area secured in advance, the use efficiency of the recording medium is hardly wasted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the clip # 2 (612) and the voice memo # 2 (622) are recorded on the recording medium # 2 (502), the main data on the recording medium # 2 (502) is recorded. Even if recording of the continuation of the main data as clip # 3 (613) is continued on recording medium # 3 (503), the dedicated data for voice memos reserved in advance on recording medium # 2 (502) is lost. If the recording area remains, there is an effect that the voice memo # 2 (622) can be recorded on the recording medium # 2 (502).

  In the above example, the maximum recordable time of the voice memo has been described as 5 minutes. However, the value may not be 5 minutes and may be arbitrarily set by the user. Further, although the capacity of the voice memo recording dedicated area is set by the voice memo recording time, the ratio of the voice memo recording area to the total capacity of the recording medium may be set. Further, the capacity to be secured may be directly set in units of bytes.

(Embodiment 5)
In this embodiment, various variations of the voice memo recording process will be described.

  The voice memo can be recorded in any state of recording video / audio main information, recording pause, recording stop, playback, playback pause, and playback stop. Since voice memos can be recorded from a plurality of states, there is an effect that convenience of voice memo recording is improved. Hereinafter, the recording method of the voice memo in each state will be described.

  First, a method for recording a voice memo during recording (shooting) of main information will be described.

  When the user presses a voice memo button provided on the operation unit 130 while recording (photographing) the main information, the voice signal input from the voice memo microphone 110 is converted into data by the voice memo processing circuit 111 and recorded as a voice memo. 150. At this time, the voice memo is associated with the clip frame offset recorded when the voice memo button is pressed. This association is performed by registering and updating management information. By this method, it is possible to simultaneously record the main information and the voice memo, and there is no need to record the voice memo again after the main information is captured.

  Also, when the clip changes during voice memo recording, that is, when the free space for recording the main information of the recording medium currently recorded becomes 0 and the continuation of the main information is recorded on another recording medium, As shown in the form 2, the voice memo continues to be recorded on the recording medium at the start of recording the voice memo. Thereby, even if a recording medium other than the recording medium on which the clip associated with the voice memo is recorded is removed, the voice memo can be reproduced.

  Next, a method for recording a voice memo during the main information recording pause will be described.

  When the voice memo button is pressed during the main information recording pause, the voice signal input from the voice memo microphone 110 is converted to data and recorded as a voice memo on the recording medium. At the same time, this voice memo is associated with the frame offset of the clip at the recording pause position in the clip. This method has an effect that it is not necessary to record a voice memo after the main shooting, as in the case where the voice memo button is pressed during the recording.

  Next, a method for recording a voice memo while recording of main information is stopped will be described.

  When the recording operation is stopped during the main information recording operation and the voice memo button is pressed, the voice signal input from the voice memo microphone 110 is converted into data and recorded as a voice memo. At this time, this voice memo is associated with the entire last recorded shot. When the shot is recorded in a plurality of clips, the voice memo is associated with the entire last recorded clip. Thereby, since the voice memo can be recorded after the main information recording (video shooting), it is possible to concentrate on the main information recording (video shooting) during the recording.

  When the voice memo button is pressed while the main information recording is stopped, the voice memo may be recorded in association with the next shot. At that time, a dummy clip is temporarily created and a voice memo is associated with the entire dummy clip. Thereafter, when shooting is resumed, the recorded voice memo is re-associated with the clip being shot, and the dummy clip is deleted. If the next shooting is not started, the recorded voice memo is deleted. By this method, since the voice memo can be recorded before the main information is recorded, it is possible to concentrate on the shooting of the video during the recording.

  Whether the voice memo is recorded after the main information is recorded or whether the voice memo is recorded before the main information is recorded may be set to be changed according to the use of the user.

  Next, a method for recording a voice memo during reproduction of main information will be described.

  When the voice memo button is pressed during reproduction of the main information, the voice input from the voice memo microphone 110 is converted into data and recorded as a voice memo on the recording medium. At this time, the voice memo is associated with the frame offset of the clip being reproduced when the voice memo button is pressed. According to this method, after recording the main information, the voice memo can be associated with confirming the video of the main information, so that it can be associated with a more accurate position of a predetermined scene.

  Next, a method of recording a voice memo during main information playback pause will be described.

  When the voice memo button is pressed while the reproduction of the main information is paused, the voice input from the voice memo microphone 110 is converted into data and recorded as a voice memo. At this time, the voice memo is associated with the frame offset of the clip at the position where playback is paused in the clip. By this method, as when the voice memo button is pressed during playback, the voice memo can be associated while confirming the main information after recording, so that it is possible to associate the voice memo with a more accurate position in a predetermined scene. can get.

  Next, a method for recording a voice memo while the main information is stopped will be described.

  When the voice memo button is pressed while the main information is stopped after playback, or when the stop position is in the middle of a shot, the voice signal input from the voice memo microphone 110 is converted and recorded as a voice memo. The voice memo is then associated with the entire shot. In addition, when a shot is recorded in a plurality of clips, the shot is associated with the entire clip including the stop position. According to this method, a voice memo can be recorded in association with a shot or the entire clip during editing, and an effect of facilitating search in clip units using the voice memo as a key can be obtained.

  When a clip associated with one or more voice memos is deleted, the voice memo associated with the clip is also deleted at the same time. This operation can save the trouble of erasing the voice memo and can prevent the voice memo from being forgotten to be erased.

  When the main information and the voice memo are simultaneously recorded, the recording of the voice memo ends when the main information is recorded. With this method, it is possible to save the trouble of ending the voice memo recording, and it is possible to obtain an effect that the voice memo recording end process is not forgotten due to carelessness.

  In this embodiment, the audio data of the main information and the sampling rate of the voice memo are 48 kHz and 12 kHz, respectively, but each value may be different. Moreover, although the bit rate of both the voice data of the main information and the voice memo is 16 bps, each value may be different. In addition, if the recording medium has sufficient capacity, high sound quality of the voice memo is required, and control is simplified, the common sampling rate or common bit rate is used for the audio data of the main information and the voice memo. The size relationship may be used.

  Further, although MXF and WAVE are used as the audio data and voice memo formats of the main information, other formats may be used. Also, a common format may be used for the voice data of the main information and the voice memo for reasons such as simplifying the control.

  In this embodiment, the clip is composed of video data 1ch and audio data 2ch. However, the number of channels may be arbitrary. For example, the clip may be only audio data 1ch.

(Embodiment 6)
In the present embodiment, a method for reproducing a voice memo will be specifically described.

  First, a screen displayed on the display unit 12 for a voice memo reproduction instruction will be described.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a clip list screen displayed on the display unit 121. The clip list screen displays a list of clips recorded in the recording medium 150. When all the clips do not fit on the screen, the selection cursor 1102 is used to scroll the screen for display.

  On the clip list screen, thumbnails (representative images of clips) 1402 of the recorded clips are displayed side by side. The thumbnail 1402 may be video data of the first frame of the clip or video data of other frames in the clip. When there is no video data in the clip, that is, in the case of a clip composed only of audio data, an image such as a blue background is embedded in the thumbnail 1402. Note that the thumbnail 1402 may be set by the user with another image that is not the video data in the clip.

  Along with the thumbnail 1402, the clip number 1403 of the clip is also displayed. The clip number 1403 can be determined regardless of the clip name, and may be freely set as long as it is unique within the recording medium.

  Furthermore, a voice memo mark 1404 is displayed for a clip associated with a voice memo. In the example of FIG. 11, voice memos are associated with clips having clip numbers “02”, “03”, and “05”.

  For the thumbnail selected by operating the selection button 1102, a display 1405 indicating that it has been selected is added to the outer frame.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a voice memo clip list screen. The voice memo clip list screen is derived from the clip list screen.

  The voice memo clip list screen displays a list of only clips associated with a voice memo among clips recorded on the recording medium. Transition to the voice memo clip list screen may be performed using an option button or the like on the operation unit 130, and any means may be used. On the voice memo clip list screen, a voice memo display area 1502 and a clip display area 1504 are provided.

  The clip display area 1504 is an area for displaying a thumbnail (hereinafter, referred to as “clip / thumbnail”) 1402 of a clip associated with a voice memo.

  In the voice memo display area 1502, a list of thumbnails (hereinafter referred to as “voice memo / thumbnail”) 1501 related to the voice memo associated with the currently selected clip is displayed. A voice memo / thumbnail 1501 is a reduced image of a still image at a position in a clip associated with a voice memo. When there is no video data in the associated clip, that is, in the case of a clip composed only of audio data, an image such as a blue background is embedded in the voice memo / thumbnail 1501.

  A voice memo number 1503 is displayed in the voice memo / thumbnail 1501. The voice memo number 1503 can be determined independently of the later-described MemoID 985. If the voice memo number 1503 is unique within the clip, the voice memo number 1503 may be set freely.

  In the voice memo display area 1502, voice memo information 1505 for displaying information of the currently selected voice memo is displayed. For example, the clip number 1403 of the association destination of the currently selected voice memo and the voice memo number 1503 of the currently selected voice memo are displayed. In the example of FIG. 12, the voice memo information 1505 indicates that the voice memo of the clip number “02” and the voice memo number “02” is selected. In this example, it is shown that a total of three voice memos are associated with the clip with the clip number “02”.

  Note that the information displayed in the voice memo information 1505 may not be displayed if it is not necessary, and other information may be displayed if necessary.

  The voice memo playback operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  In order to reproduce the voice memo, the user shifts to the voice memo clip list screen, and selects and determines a clip associated with the voice memo to be reproduced. Selection of a clip to be reproduced is performed by a selection button 1102 on the operation unit 130, and the selection is determined by a determination button 1103.

  It is determined whether or not a clip has been selected and determined by a user operation on the voice memo clip list screen (S41). When the clip is selected / determined, the cursor is moved to the voice memo display area 1502, and it is determined whether or not the voice memo / thumbnail to be reproduced is selected by the user in the voice memo display area 1502 (S42). When the decision button 1103 is pressed while the voice memo to be reproduced is selected, the selection is confirmed and the selected voice memo is reproduced (S43). At that time, simultaneously with the start of playback of the voice memo, the still image of the main video data at the position associated with the voice memo to be played back is displayed (S44). Thereafter, when the voice memo data is reproduced to the end thereof, the reproduction of the voice memo is finished, and at the same time, the display of the still image of the main video data is also stopped.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a screen during voice memo reproduction.

  A display 1601 indicating that the voice memo is being reproduced is displayed together with the still image of the main video data. The display 1601 may be a blinking display.

  Simultaneously with the start of voice memo playback, playback of the video of the main video data may be started from the position associated with the voice memo to be played back. At this time, if the reproduction of the moving image of the main video data is completed before the reproduction of the voice memo ends, it is preferable to continue outputting the still image of the final frame of the main video data, the blue background image, or the like.

  When playback of the voice memo ends, the screen automatically returns to the voice memo clip list screen. In order to enable the voice memo to be ended during the reproduction, the voice memo reproduction operation may be interrupted when a predetermined button (for example, enter button 1103, stop button (not shown)) is pressed. . Also, when a main part playback button (not shown) or a selection / determination button 1103 is pressed during voice memo playback, the playback of the voice memo is interrupted, and the video of the main part from the position associated with the voice memo being played back, You may make it start reproduction | regeneration of audio | voice data.

(Embodiment 7)
In the first embodiment, the management table as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is used as a means for associating the clip frame offset with the voice memo data. Describes information about voice memo association. In addition to the information related to the clip and the voice memo, various information related to the clip such as information related to video data and audio data constituting the clip is described in the XML file.

(Directory structure of recording medium)
FIG. 15 shows an example of the directory structure of each content recorded on the recording medium 150.

  The Contents directory 800 is arranged under the root directory of the recording medium 150. All the files that make up the clip are placed under the Contents directory 800.

  The Clip directory 810 is arranged under the Contents directory 800. An XML file in which clip information is described is stored under the Clip directory 810.

  The Video directory 820 is arranged under the Contents directory 800. The video data file is stored under the Video directory 820.

  The Audio directory 830 is arranged under the Contents directory 800. The audio data file is stored under the Audio directory 830.

  The Voice directory 850 is arranged under the Contents directory 800. The voice memo data file is stored under the Voice directory 850.

  Each of the clip files 811 and 812 is an XML file in which all clip information such as additional information of a voice memo is described. One clip file is created for one clip.

  Each of the video files 821 and 822 is a video data file that constitutes a clip.

  Each of the audio files 831 to 834 is an audio data file that constitutes a clip.

  Each of the voice memo files 851 to 853 is a voice memo data file associated with a clip.

  In the above example, only the components necessary for describing the present embodiment are used. If necessary, for example, an icon directory (not shown), an icon file (not shown), and the like may be incorporated in this configuration. Further, the directory structure in the recording medium 150 may be different.

(Definition of clip file by XML)
Hereinafter, a specific description method of a clip file using XML will be described.

  FIG. 16 shows items specifically described in the XML description. The items described in FIG. 16 are examples enumerated for explaining the present embodiment, and there may be items that are not described in FIG. 16, and the items illustrated in FIG. Some of them may not be present. Moreover, the attribute may exist in each item.

  The Clip Content tag 900 has information on the following clip as an element.

  The ClipName tag 901 has the name of the clip as an element.

  The Duration tag 902 has the number of frames of the clip as an element.

  The EssenceList tag 910 has a list of essences such as video and audio data as an element.

  The Video tag 920 has the following video data information as an element. Further, as an attribute of the Video tag 920, for example, an attribute called ValidAudioFlag (not shown) may be added to determine whether audio data is multiplexed in the video data.

  The VideoFormat tag 921 has a file format of video data as an element. For example, the MXF file format can be considered, but other formats may be used.

  The Audio tag 940 has the following audio data information as elements.

  The AudioFormat tag 941 has a file format of audio data as an element. For example, the MXF file format can be considered, but other formats may be used.

  The SamplingRate tag 942 has a sampling rate of audio data as an element. For example, 48000 Hz may be considered, but the sampling rate value may be anything.

  The BitsPerSample tag 943 has the bit rate of audio data as an element. For example, 16 bps and 24 bps are conceivable, but the bit rate value may be anything.

  The ClipMetadata tag 960 has metadata information other than material data associated with a clip, such as a voice memo, as an element.

  The MemoList tag 970 has a list of notes associated with the clip as an element. Note that if there is no memo, the MemoList tag 970 may be omitted.

  The Memo tag 980 has each piece of memo information shown below as an element. Note that a Memo ID 985 is added to the Memo tag 980 as an attribute. The MemoID 985 is an independent two-digit value for each clip, and up to 100 memos can be associated with each clip. Further, the MemoID 985 may not be a two-digit value, and the maximum number of notes associated with each clip may not be 100.

  The Offset tag 981 has a frame offset of a clip associated with a memo as an element. The Offset tag 981 may be omitted if not necessary. If there is no Offset tag 981, the memo may be associated with the entire clip.

  The Person tag 982 has the name of the person who created the memo as an element. For example, the person who recorded the voice memo is described in the Person tag 982. As a result, the voice memo recording person becomes clear, and if it is desired to know the situation when the voice memo is recorded, the recording person may be inquired. Note that the Person tag 982 does not have to be added unless particularly necessary.

  The Voice tag 990 has each information of the voice memo shown below as an element. If no voice memo is associated, the Voice tag 990 may be omitted.

  The VoiceFormat tag 991 has a file format of voice memo data as an element. For example, the WAVE file format can be considered, but other formats may be used.

  A Voice Sampling Rate tag 992 has a sampling rate of voice memo data as an element. For example, 12000 Hz is conceivable, but the sampling rate value may be anything.

  The VoiceBitsPerSample tag 993 has the bit rate of voice memo data as an element. For example, 16 bps is conceivable, but the bit rate value may be anything.

  The RecContention tag 994 has a state when a voice memo is recorded as an element. For example, although a PLAY state, a STILL state, etc. can be considered, there may be other states, and those states may be subdivided. Note that the RecCondition tag 994 is not necessarily provided if not necessary.

  In addition, although the above example was given as an item described in a clip file, as long as a clip and a voice memo can be linked | related, the structure, an item, an element, and an attribute will not ask | require.

(Status management during voice memo recording)
A method for managing the state at the time of recording the voice memo will be described.

  For example, when recording a voice memo during recording of main data or playback of main data, the Rec Condition tag 994 is set to “PLAY”. In addition, when recording a voice memo during recording pause, recording stop, playback stop, and playback pause of the main data, that is, when recording a voice memo without synchronizing with the main data, the Rec Condition tag 994 is set. Set to “STILL”.

  When the voice memo is reproduced, the Rec Condition tag 994 is referred to. If “PLAY” is selected, the main video data is reproduced simultaneously from the position associated with the voice memo. On the other hand, if the RecCondition tag 994 is “STILL”, the voice memo is reproduced while continuing to output the still image of the main video data at the position associated with the voice memo. Here, the value of the RecCondition tag 994 is “PLAY” and “STILL”, but other states may be defined separately. For example, when a voice memo is recorded during search playback, search playback at that time A value indicating the speed may be described in the RecCondition tag 994. In that case, it is possible to acquire the search reproduction speed by referring to the RecCondition tag 994 and reproduce the voice memo while searching and reproducing the main data at the acquired speed.

  Note that, regardless of the value of the RecCondition tag 994, the voice memo may be reproduced while continuing to output stillness of the main video data. Further, the user may freely determine the relationship between the RecCondition tag 994 and the voice memo playback method. In addition, the Rec Condition tag 994 may not be recorded, and in that case, the voice memo playback method may be unified. Further, the voice memo may be reproduced by a reproduction method set by the user regardless of the value of the RecCondition tag 994.

  Thus, by managing the state when the voice memo is recorded, the voice memo reproducing means can be increased.

  In the case of reproducing a voice memo, an example in which only main video data is simultaneously reproduced from an associated position has been described. However, main audio data may be simultaneously reproduced.

(Asynchronous recording and playback of voice memo data)
Generally, when reproducing video and audio data of a material, it is necessary to synchronize the video and audio. At this time, it is general that the video and audio are not allowed to be shifted by one frame. If video data and audio data are not multiplexed, and the video data file and audio data file (including multiple channels) are separate files, the control to play all these files in sync is It becomes complicated. Further, when two or more audio data files having different sampling rates are reproduced, the control for reproducing them while synchronizing them becomes more complicated.

  On the other hand, if it is not necessary to play back the video and audio while synchronizing, that is, if it is allowed to shift by several frames, even if the video data file and audio data file are separate files, What is necessary is just to reproduce | regenerate and the control becomes simpler.

  As described above, since the voice memo data is memo data for indicating what the material data is, it is considered unnecessary to reproduce the memo data in strict synchronization with the material data. Therefore, when the voice memo is reproduced without synchronizing with the main data, the control becomes simpler.

  The voice memo is associated with a specific point on the time axis of the main data. By recording the voice memo without synchronizing with the main data, the voice memo can be recorded for a longer time than the duration of the associated clip. . For example, a voice memo of several tens of seconds can be recorded for a clip of several seconds. In addition, voice memos can be recorded in various states, such as during stop, playback, special playback (multiple search playback, reverse playback, etc.) of the main data.

  For example, when recording a voice memo while the main data is stopped or paused, the value of the RecCondition tag 994 may be set to “STILL” as voice memo management information (the voice memo playback method at this time will be described later) To do.) At this time, a voice memo can be recorded in advance before recording the material. For example, it is possible to record a description of the scene as a voice memo in advance for a scene to be shot, and then shoot the target scene and associate the recorded voice memo with the clip. .

  In addition, when recording a voice memo during recording and reproduction of main data, the value of the RecCondition tag 994 may be set to “PLAY”. (A method for reproducing the voice memo at this time will be described later.) At this time, the voice memo to be recorded does not necessarily need to be synchronized with the main data. Therefore, as shown in the second embodiment, even when the main data is recorded or recorded across a plurality of recording media, the voice memo can be recorded without straddling a plurality of recording media. In particular, when a voice memo is recorded during the main data reproduction, the voice memo can be recorded even if the end of the main data passes during the voice memo recording.

  Further, when recording a voice memo during special reproduction of the main data (multiple-times search reproduction, reverse reproduction, etc.), the value of the RecCondition tag 994 may be set to a value indicating the respective state.

  When the voice memo recorded as described above is reproduced, the reproduction method may be selected by referring to the Rec Condition tag 994 added at the time of recording the voice memo.

  When the value of the RecCondition tag 994 is “STILL”, that is, when the state of the main part when the voice memo is recorded is stopped or paused, a still picture of the main part video data at the position where the voice memo is associated is output. Play the voice memo while continuing.

  In addition, when the value of the RecCondition tag 994 is “PLAY”, that is, when the state of the main part at the time of recording the voice memo is being recorded or reproduced, the main part of the video data at the position where the voice memo is associated is simultaneously reproduced. To do. At this time, as described above, the main data and the voice memo do not necessarily need to be synchronized, and can be reproduced with simpler control. Here, when the user wants to hear the voice memo quickly with a voice memo over a long period of time, only the voice memo can be played back at 1.5 to 2 times speed while the main volume is played back at the same speed. Conversely, if the voice message left in the voice memo is too fast to be heard, only the voice memo may be played at 0.5 times speed while the main volume is being played at the same speed.

  Also, when the RecCondition tag 994 has a value indicating search playback, for example, a value indicating search playback quadruple speed, the voice memo is played back while searching the main data at quadruple speed from the position associated with the voice memo. can do. When the RecCondition tag 994 has a value indicating reverse reproduction, the voice memo can be reproduced while reversely reproducing the main data from the position associated with the voice memo.

(Specific example of XML description)
FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of XML description for a part of the directory structure in FIG. That is, the example shown in FIG. 15 includes clip file # 1 (811) whose clip name is “0001AB” and clip file # 2 (812) whose clip name is “0001CD”. FIG. 17 shows an XML description related to clip file # 1 (811). However, FIG. 17 shows a part of the contents described in clip file # 1 (811), and the items described are only items necessary for explaining the present embodiment. Some items not described in FIG. 17 may exist, and some of the items illustrated in FIG. 17 may not exist. Moreover, the attribute may exist in each item.

  The following contents are defined in the XML description of FIG.

  The clip name (ClipName) of clip file # 1 (811) is “0001AB”.

  The length (Duration) of clip file # 1 (811) is 1000 frames. MXF is used as the file format (Video Format, AudioFormat) of the main video data and main audio data, and WAVE is used as the voice memo file format (VoiceFormat). In addition, the sampling rate (SamplingRate) of the audio data of the main part is 48 kHz, and the sampling rate (VoiceSamplingRate) of the voice memo data is 12 kHz. The bit rate (BitsPerSample, VoiceBitsPerSample) of voice data and voice memo is both 16 bps.

  Clip file # 1 (811) includes video file # 1 (821), audio file # 1 (831), audio file # 2 (832), voice memo file # 1 (851), and voice memo file # 2 (852). It is composed of

  The voice memo file # 1 (851) is created by a user having “UserName1” as a user name (Person). The voice memo is recorded in a recording pause state, a recording stop state, a playback pause state, or a playback stop state (RecCondition) of the material, and is associated with the 0th frame (Offset) of this clip.

  Voice memo file # 2 (852) is created by a user having “UserName2” as the user name (Person), and the voice memo is recorded during recording or playback (RecCondition) of the material. Associated with (Offset).

  Each data file is named as follows.

  The file name of the clip file # 1 (811) is obtained by adding the extension “.xml” to the clip name “0001AB” and becomes “0001AB.xml”.

  The file name of the video file # 1 (821) is obtained by adding the extension “.mxf” to the clip name “0001AB” and becomes “0001AB.mxf”.

  The file names of the audio file # 1 (831) and the audio file # 2 (832) are obtained by adding the two-digit channel numbers “00” and “01” to the clip name “0001AB”, and further adding the extension “.mxf”. ", And become" 0001AB00.mxf "and" 0001AB01.mxf ", respectively. The channel numbers of the audio data are assigned as 0 channel, 1 channel, 2 channels,... In the order of the list of elements of the Audio tag 940 registered in the EssenceList tag 910. The channel number of the audio data may be determined by adding the channel number as an attribute of the Audio tag 940 shown in FIG. 9 and determining the channel number from another value. It doesn't matter.

  The file names of the voice memo file # 1 (851) and the voice memo file # 2 (852) are obtained by adding the two-digit values “00” and “01” of the respective MemoID 985 to the clip name “0001AB”, and an extension. “.Wav” is added to be “0001AB00.wav” and “0001AB01.wav”, respectively.

  Each file described above is stored based on the directory structure as shown in FIG. With this configuration, it is possible to know related information such as material data and voice memo data constituting a clip only by referring to clip file # 1 (811).

  The method for determining the file name of each file may be a method other than the above example.

  In the present embodiment, only the method for associating the clip with video, audio data, and voice memo data and the items necessary for explaining the effect have been described. However, detailed information on each material data, thumbnail that is a representative image of the clip Various information such as information about the file, information about the place where the image was taken, user information about the photographer, information about the photographing device, and the like may be described in the clip file. By doing so, it is possible to know all information of the clip only by referring to the clip file.

  In the present embodiment, XML is used as the description language of the clip file. Since XML is a language standardized (recommended) by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), for example, operations such as migrating management information to another database using conversion software that can handle XML, etc. It is also possible to increase the versatility. Moreover, since management information can also be easily added by defining a new tag, it is considered that the extensibility is high. Further, since XML is a text file, the user can refer to the clip file directly and easily using a general-purpose information device, and can roughly grasp the clip information. Further, the user can directly edit the clip file using a general-purpose information device, and simple editing is also possible.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful for a video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus for efficiently performing editing work such as non-linear editing based on media that has been recorded and recorded by a memory recording camera recorder or the like.

  Although the present invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments, many other variations, modifications, and other uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the specific disclosure herein, but can be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. This application is related to Japanese patent application, Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-356079 (submitted on October 16, 2003, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

It is the figure which showed the structure of the video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating correlation with the specific position in a clip of a voice memo. It is the figure which showed the example (voice memo management table) of the management information which shows the relationship between a voice memo file and a clip. It is the figure which showed the example (clip management table) of the management information which shows the relationship between the clip and the material file (video, audio | voice file) which comprises the clip. It is a flowchart of a process at the time of reproducing | regenerating the data (clip) of the main volume linked | related with the voice memo data during voice memo reproduction | regeneration. It is a flowchart of a process at the time of reproducing | regenerating the voice memo linked | related with the clip during clip reproduction | regeneration. It is the figure which showed the structure of the video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus which has several recording media in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure explaining the correlation of the voice memo to the specific position in the shot recorded ranging over several recording media. It is the figure which showed the example of the operation part in a recording / reproducing apparatus. It is a flowchart of the recording operation of a voice memo. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a clip list screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a voice memo clip list screen. It is a flowchart of the reproduction | regeneration operation | movement of a voice memo. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the screen during voice memo reproduction | regeneration. It is the figure which showed the directory structure of the content in a recording medium. It is a figure explaining the tag which manages clip information. It is the figure which showed the example of the XML description of a clip file.

Claims (23)

A video / audio input unit for inputting video and audio main information;
A voice additional information input unit for inputting voice additional information to be added to the main information;
A video / audio output unit for outputting the main information and the audio additional information;
A recording / reproducing unit that records the main information and the additional audio information on a recording medium or reproduces the information from the recording medium;
A control unit that controls operations of the video / audio input unit, the audio additional information input unit, the video / audio output unit, and the recording / playback unit;
The control unit controls the audio additional information to be recorded on the recording medium in association with a specific frame position in the main information, asynchronously with the time axis of the main information ,
The audio data of the main information is recorded in an MXF file format, and the audio additional information is recorded in a WAVE file format that is a file format different from the audio data of the main information .
Video / audio recording and playback device.   The specific frame position in the main information is designated by the number of frames from the top of the main information or the time code of the main information, and the audio additional information is specified by the number of frames from the top of the main information or the main information. The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus records in the recording medium in association with a time code.   When the recording medium is composed of a single medium, the audio additional information associated with a specific frame position in the clip, which is main information continuously recorded on the single recording medium, is the entire clip. The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the specific frame is a head frame in a clip.   In order to add audio additional information to the entire recording medium, dummy main information is created, the audio additional information is associated with the created dummy main information, and the dummy main information and the audio additional information are associated with each other. The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus records on the recording medium.   When the recording medium is composed of a plurality of media and the main information captured by a series of operations is divided and recorded across the plurality of media, the audio additional information is associated with each divided main information. The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main information and the audio additional information associated with the main information are recorded on the same medium.   The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the recording operation of the main information and the audio additional information, the recording of the audio additional information is ended when the recording of the main information is ended.   The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the audio additional information is recorded at a sampling rate or a bit rate different from the audio data of the main information.   2. The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising management information related to the audio additional information, the management information including information indicating a state of the main information at a start of recording of the audio additional information.   The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information for identifying a user to whom the audio information is added is recorded in a management file.   The video / audio recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the management information of the audio additional information is recorded in an XML file. Input the main information of video and audio,
Input audio additional information to be added to the main information,
The audio additional information is recorded on a recording medium in association with a specific frame position in the main information, asynchronously with the time axis of the main information ,
The audio / video recording method , wherein the audio data of the main information is recorded in an MXF file format, and the audio additional information is recorded in a WAVE file format that is a file format different from the audio data of the main information .   The specific frame position in the main information is designated by the number of frames from the top of the main information or the time code of the main information, and the audio additional information is specified by the number of frames from the top of the main information or the main information. The video / audio recording method according to claim 12, wherein recording is performed on the recording medium in association with a time code.   When the recording medium is composed of a single medium, the audio additional information associated with a specific frame position in the clip, which is main information continuously recorded on the single recording medium, is the entire clip. The video / audio recording method according to claim 12, further comprising:   The video / audio recording method according to claim 14, wherein the specific frame is a head frame in a clip.   In order to add audio additional information to the entire recording medium, dummy main information is created, the audio additional information is associated with the created dummy main information, and the dummy main information and the audio additional information are associated with each other. The video / audio recording method according to claim 12, wherein recording is performed on the recording medium.   When the recording medium is composed of a plurality of media and the main information captured by a series of operations is divided and recorded across the plurality of media, the audio additional information is associated with each divided main information. The video / audio recording method according to claim 12, wherein the main information and the audio additional information associated with the main information are recorded on the same medium.   13. The video / audio recording method according to claim 12, wherein in the recording operation of the main information and the audio additional information, the recording of the audio additional information is ended when the recording of the main information is ended.   13. The video / audio recording method according to claim 12, wherein the audio additional information is recorded at a sampling rate or bit rate different from that of the audio data of the main information. A method for reproducing a recording medium in which main information and additional audio information are recorded by the video / audio recording method according to claim 12,
Display a thumbnail image of the main information;
When one or more pieces of audio additional information are associated with the same main information, a thumbnail of the main information at the frame position where each of the audio additional information is associated with each of the one or more pieces of audio additional information A video / audio playback method that displays each image in a selectable manner.   21. The video / audio reproduction method according to claim 20, wherein when the additional audio information is reproduced, the still image of the main information associated with the additional audio information is continuously displayed.   21. The video / audio reproduction method according to claim 20, wherein during reproduction of the audio additional information, the main information can be reproduced from a specific frame position of the main information associated with the audio additional information being reproduced. A method for reproducing a recording medium on which main information and additional audio information are recorded by the video / audio recording method according to claim 12,
A video / audio reproduction method of reproducing the audio additional information without synchronizing with the time axis of the main information.

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